Same first and last name, but no middle name. Both on the varsity soccer team and in the same grade. The older girl was born in November 2005, while the younger one came along about four months later.
If you’re confused, you’re not alone. The two seniors named Jimena Rodriguez have been mixed up multiple times during their four years at Rider.
Typically, you would assume that having someone so similar to you would be frustrating and tough. But that’s not the case with these girls.
“It is strange, but not in a weird way. It is unique,” said the younger Jimena, who has been on the varsity soccer team for all four years. “What are the odds that someone has the same name as you, same grade, same town?”
“It is cool to have someone who has the same name as me,” added the older Jimena, who just joined varsity soccer this year. “I find that really cool, really fun and she’s a really sweet girl.”
Having someone at your school who is so similar to someone else, you’d think they’re twins. Or it’s just a weird yet intriguing coincidence.
Little would you know these girls said they think they are third cousins to each other from their dads’ side of the family.
While they are on the same soccer team, they don’t talk a lot at school.
“We have seen each other and we have gone to the same school since eighth grade. So she was there too, and that is when we started seeing each other more,” the younger Jimena said. “We don’t talk a lot at school or anything. She is a nice person.”
While the two Jimena’s may find it confusing sometimes, they don’t get frustrated by people confusing them.
“It is sometimes confusing because I will hear my name, but they will be talking to the other Jimena,” the younger Jimena said. “I will turn around and they are talking to her and I will just go about my day.”
Two kids with the same name and grade also can be a challenge for the school offices with tasks like creating their schedules and sending passes. Interestingly enough, they are the only two girls named Jimena in the whole school.
Their previous guidance counselor Alisha Crouch taught the younger Jimena her freshman year so creating schedules was a bit easier for her. When she would look her up in Skyward, she saw her picture and knew it was her. However, it wasn’t always that easy.
“Since I ended up being their counselor, I learned the other Jimena very quickly,” Crouch said. “They both play soccer and they both were in a lot of the same classes, so we had to rely a lot on ID numbers. So, there were times when it did get tricky.”
With both girls doing the same sport, using soccer to separate them from each other wasn’t possible. The office had to use the IDs to differentiate the two of them.
“I wrote their ID numbers with everything, so I’ve got the correct Jimena, that I’m making the correct schedule adjustments,” Crouch said. “They don’t have middle names, so I can’t use that. So I double-check ID numbers when I’m just looking at something blank and not knowing who I’m looking at.”
Girls soccer coach Carl Wiersema finds himself blessed to have both girls on his team, describing them as having unique qualities and personalities.
“They are both wonderful girls and talented soccer players and fun to be around,” Wiersema said.
Nicknaming the four-year varsity Jimena as “JR,” he doesn’t get the girls mixed up when calling their names very often. If he needs to do paperwork, he uses the girls’ birthdays to help him.
“They are both awesome girls and athletes and I enjoy working with both of them,” Wiersema said. “ They both are great representations of how we want our athletes to be at S.H. Rider High School.”
